Submissions on the draft policy closed last week. Under proposed policy, bars open until 1am or 2am would not be allowed to sell beer stronger than 6 per cent alcohol volume withinan hour of their closing time.

Bars open after 2am would be banned from selling strong beer within two hours of closing, while events with a special liquor licencewould be barred from selling the stronger beer.

Bottle stores will also be banned from selling single bottles of beer smaller than 445ml unless it is boutique or hand-crafted. However even experts could not agree on what defined a boutique or craft beer.

Auckland Council's stance reflects a similar Marlborough District Council proposal to ban the sale of single bottles of beer in Marlborough which has also been met with strong opposition.

The Society of Beer Advocates (Soba) said the changes could have "disastrous consequences" on Auckland's thriving beer culture.

Soba president David Wood said the proposed restrictions would deter bars from stocking beer above 6 per cent alcohol volume.

"They're not going to want to bring in beers that they're not going to be able to sell later at night."

Wood, who is general manager of Wellington craft beer bar Hashigo Zake, said it was "ridiculous" that beer had been singled out in Auckland Council's alcohol policy, but stronger alcohol such as wine were not even mentioned.

The draft policy says boutique and hand crafted beer would be exempt from single bottle sale restrictions but defining craft beer was near impossible, he said.

"We can't define it. What makes the council think they can define what is boutique and hand crafted?"

Beer festival organisers would also be discouraged from hosting events in Auckland because they would not be able to sell beer above 6 per cent, he said.

Listed boutique brewery Moa chief executive Geoff Ross said New Zealand could be a world leader in craft beer exports but the draft policy's restrictions could jeopardise that.

"Things like this would just hamstring us at a very early and critical stage," Ross said.

It was difficult for craft brewers to grow export markets if the domestic market was restricted.

The proposed ban on beer above 6 per cent alcohol volume at special events was "a crazy restriction" and proposed changes to single bottle beer sales was counter productive to tackling problem drinking, he said.